Council protects herring with trawler buffer zone

Friday

Oct 5, 2018 at 3:01 AM

Ocean herring received protections from the New England Fishery Management Council on Sept. 25, in the form of a 12-mile buffer zone for midwater trawlers.

Pending approval by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the herring catch will be reduced and the stock will be managed with an eye toward rebuilding the fishery and protecting the ecosystem as a whole.

The trawlers, roughly 150 feet in length and often working in pairs, tow nets the size of football fields with small mesh, catching almost everything in their path. They have been targeting herring close to shore, wiping out the natural mix of small fish.

John Pappalardo, chief executive officer of the Fishermen's Alliance and member of the council, convinced his peers to protect additional areas off the Cape's "backshore," beyond 12 miles. His motion, also widely supported, protects up to 25 nautical miles in key "boxes," east of the Cape, critical spawning areas for herring.

"This dramatic success for our coastal fisheries, and for the ecosystem, couldn't have happened without strong support from our community on the Cape," said Pappalardo. "It's taken a long time, too long really, but now we are in a stronger position to rebuild not just the herring population, but our traditional recreational and commercial fisheries."

In the audience at the council hearing, side by side with fishermen who have spent close to 20 years fighting to bring back their traditional fisheries, were community members who have supported them, and the Cape's ecosystem.

Shareen Davis, a longtime weir fisherwoman, fisheries advocate, and now a Chatham selectman, said the buffer would benefit the peninsula's economy and character.

"Protecting the areas off Cape Cod's shoreline from large-scale fishing operations chasing herring up and down the Atlantic coast will greatly benefit our marine ecosystem and Chatham's small-scale fishing fleet," she said.

TAssociation to Preserve Cape Cod's executive director, Andrew Gottlieb, called the action a step forward, but said there was work still to be done.

"We need to monitor the effects of the changes to make sure that the herring stock is recovering and that the goals are being met," he said.